Jeter Heating Up?

I’ve been hard on Derek Jeter so far this season so I think I should make up for it a bit and give him some credit.

Since leaving Detroit (not including lats night’s game), he’s got a .304/.339/.429/.768 line. Granted that’s not great and not what we’re used to from Derek, but it’s acceptable considering how cold he’s seemed at times. In the really small sample size–Tampa games through first two games @ Minny–he’s hitting .333/.353/.515/.868. So, perhaps Derek is finally starting to heat up.

This post is, however, going to come with a bit of a backhanded compliment. Jeter’s still not taking his walks. In the month of May, he has just seven free passes in 116 PA, which means a walk rate of just over 6%. This is not acceptable for a leadoff hitter. This needs to come up. Maybe the walks will start coming when the hits start coming. Luckily, the hits seem to be coming now. Hopefully, Jeter remembers he’s Derek Jeter and starts hitting like we all know he can.